I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
A Great Mercy
Think back on a time when you were shown mercy…
Maybe you owed someone money, but they decided to cancel your debt. Maybe you hurt someone you love, but they gave you another chance. Maybe you made a huge mistake, but you received forgiveness instead of punishment.
In the fifth of the beatitudes, a series of promises Jesus made about God’s Kingdom, Jesus said this:
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
Matthew 5:7 NIV
Because we are imperfect sinners who have all fallen short of God’s standards, we all deserve death. We all deserve punishment. We all deserve to be eternally separated from God.
“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”
Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT
Jesus is passionate about justice and righteousness while simultaneously fervent about grace and mercy.
That’s why He paid the ultimate price for us—so that we could truly live. That’s why He conquered the grave—to mercifully save our souls. That’s why He sent His Spirit—so that we could also show mercy.
To be clear, grace and mercy, while similar, aren't the same. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve (an unwarranted gift) while mercy is not getting what you do deserve (judgment and wrath).
And while it’s easier said than done, His people are called to be merciful. Even when someone has wronged you. Yes, even when they don’t deserve your kindness. Yes, even when you don’t feel like being merciful.
God has shown us a great mercy. And now? We can extend mercy to others.
Help is Near
We weren’t created to go through life carrying heavy burdens that weigh us down.
Thankfully, we don’t have to.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
When Jesus came to earth, He took our burdens onto Himself. Even though we were far from God, Jesus carried the punishment for our wrongdoing and bore our suffering. And because of that, we have a Savior who understands and has compassion on us.
This Savior meets us in our mess, and invites us to find rest in Him. This Savior is God with us.
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
Psalms 68:19 NIV
King David wrote that Psalm hundreds of years before Jesus’ arrival. But even then, God was illustrating to people that His character was constant, and He was trustworthy.
God ...
